Fidesz group leader opens Csángó Ball in Budapest

Gergely Gulyás, the parliamentary group leader of ruling Fidesz, opened the 22nd Csángó Ball in Budapest over the weekend.

In his opening address, Gulyás said that the Csángó community reminds Hungarians of their past. By preserving their mother tongue and staying committed to their identity and homeland, the Csángós show Hungarians what they should be like, he said.

“If we had to find one adjective to describe love for one’s mother tongue and homeland and commitment to faith and folk traditions, then Csángó would be the best one,” Gulyás told the event organised by the Pro Minoritate Foundation and the Moldavia Hungarians’ Federation.

Hungary’s responsibility for Hungarians abroad is enshrined in the country’s constitution, Gulyás said, adding that the ball was a demonstration of how a Hungarian community beyond the border assumes responsibility for Hungarians living in Hungary.

The Csángó community, an ethnic Hungarian group, lives in Romania’s Moldavia region, and comprises about 250,000 members. They are believed to have fled from neighbouring Transylvania in at least two bigger waves. Many Szeklers fled the forced recruitment into the Austrian military in the 18th century. About 60,000 members of the community still speak an archaic form of Hungarian.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI